This invention relates to a method for rapidly making centrifuged material layer volume measurements. The method of this invention is particularly useful in performing blood constituent count measurements in a centrifuged sample of anticoagulated whole blood.
The measurement of the blood cell counts in a centrifuged sample of anticoagulated whole blood has been described in the scientific literature, and a method for easily measuring certain blood cell and other constituent layers is described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,660, granted Jun. 7, 1977 to Stephen C. Wardlaw et al. In the patented method, a sample of anticoagulated whole blood is centrifuged in a precision capillary tube which contains a plastic float. The float linearly expands some of the cell layers and the platelet layer.
In performing the patented method, the blood sample is centrifuged for about five minutes at about 12,000 RPM, and then the expanded lengths of the cell and platelet layers are measured. One of the problems in the patented method pertains to the relatively high centrifuge RPM required to reliably compact the layers, particularly the platelet layer. If the constituent layers are not completely or uniformly packed, the results derived by the method may be inaccurate. The aforesaid high RPM centrifugation requires an expensive centrifuge, and increases the risk of tube breakage. Another problem relates to the required minimum five minute centrifugation time period, which is undesirable in many medical situations. Still another problem relates to the need for the operator to remove the tube from the centrifuge and re-insert it into a reader. Because this operation must be performed within a limited time interval following centrifugation, it requires the close attendance of the operator, which is inefficient and further exposes the operator to a potentially hazardous sample.
It would be desirable to be able to measure the blood constituent layers in a shorter period of time, and with a lower RPM centrifuge, and/or to reduce the amount of sample tube handling.
This invention relates to an assembly for quickly determining individual material volume measurements during centrifugation of a gravimetrically separable material mixture sample, such as an anticoagulated whole blood sample. Additionally, this invention relates to a method which can determine blood constituent volume measurements, and blood constituent counts during centrifugation of an anticoagulated whole blood sample before the centrifugation step is finished. The method of this invention utilizes a combined centrifuge and reader which will perform the functions of both centrifugation and reading, and thus simplify the performance of the material layer measurements described in the aforesaid U.S. patents. The method of this invention provides a kinetic analysis of blood cell compaction. By following the principles of this invention, white blood cell and platelet layers can be quantified in a relatively low RPM centrifuge, for example a centrifuge which operates at speeds of between about 8,000 to about 10,000 RPM, although the higher speed 12,000 RPM centrifuge can also be used.
During the process of gravimetrically forming cell layers in a centrifuged anticoagulated whole blood sample there are two counteractive forces at work, i.e., outward compaction of the cells and other formed components in the sample; and inward percolation of the plasma in the sample. As the cells and other formed component layers in the blood sample settle during centrifugation, the layers compact thereby decreasing the length of the layers. At the same time, the fluid (plasma) component of the blood sample percolates through the compacting layers.
For cell compaction to occur, the fluid component must be displaced, but as the cell layers continue to compact the percolation paths for the fluid become more tortuous. Cell layer compaction will initially progress rapidly but will become increasingly slower as compaction increases and percolation becomes more difficult. Thus the rate of compaction is non-linear. Since the rate of compaction varies considerably between different blood samples due to fluid viscosity and/or other factors, a single reading of a cell layer which is taken prior to complete compaction of the cell layer cannot be extrapolated to predict the extent of the final cell layer compaction. Therefore the thickness (or length) of the fully compacted cell layer cannot be determined from a single measurement of the thickness (or length) of a cell layer which reading is taken during the centrifugation step. This fact has formed the basis of the traditional method of determining the optimum centrifuge speed, and time, so that measurements of the cell layers"" thickness will be made only after the cell layers would be expected to show no further compaction. This xe2x80x9ccomplete compactionxe2x80x9d centrifugation time is considered deemed to be the minimum time required before measuring any centrifuged anticoagulated whole blood constituent layers.
I have discovered that the inherent unpredictability of the extent of final blood cell layer compaction can be overcome by making several separate preliminary measurements of the cell layers"" thickness during the ongoing centrifugation step, and then fitting the derived data to a non-linear mathematical algorithm that will predict the fully compacted cell layer thickness. This procedure does not require ultimate layer compaction, and in fact, the fully compacted cell layer thickness may be mathematically predicted after only four or five preliminary cell layer thickness measurements. Additionally, the method of this invention allows for an accurate calculation of the ultimate extent of blood cell layer compaction, and therefore the thickness of a fully compacted cell layer, over a wide range of centrifuge speeds. Thus a plurality of cell layer thickness measurements that are taken during the low speed centrifugation of an anticoagulated whole blood sample can accurately predict the ultimate degree of cell layer compaction which will result from a prolonged centrifugation step that is performed at a much higher centrifuge speed, such as is required by the prior art.
The method of this invention involves the use of: a centrifuge; a fluorescent colorant excitation light source; a photodetector; and a microprocessor controller for controlling operation of the assembly, and for collecting data from readings taken by the assembly. The light source is preferentially a high intensity pulsed light source which periodically illuminates the blood sample in the sampling tube as the latter is being centrifuged. Illumination of the blood sample in the tube causes fluorescence of certain of the blood cell constituents as well as illumination of the red blood cell layer, so that the photodetector can discriminate between the various cell layers in the tube that are gravimetrically compacted during the centrifugation step. By selection of the appropriate filters on both the light source and the detector, the light reflected from the material layers can be measured, as well as the fluorescence. The pulsing of the light source is synchronized with the position of the tube during centrifugation, so that the tube will be illuminated as it passes by the photodetector. The optics and filters used in performing the method of this invention are generally similar to those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,558,947, granted Dec. 17, 1985 to S. C. Wardlaw, the disclosure of which patent is incorporated herein in its entirety.
The light source for illuminating the tube for the excitation of fluorescence must have sufficient emission in the excitation band (about 420-480 nm) to provide adequate emission energy from the sample tube, when received by a filtered, solid-state image dissector, such as a CCD array. Further, the energy must be delivered in the period when the tube to be imaged is within the focal range of the detector, which is typically about 50 xcexcsec. These requirements are best met by a xenon flash tube having an associated focusing means, rather than a diffuser, which flash tube is driven by a power supply capable of delivering short pulses at the needed power levels and wherein the light flashes are precisely tuned to the position of the tube relative to the detector when the flash tube is triggered.
If the sample is analyzed by the aforesaid kinetic technique, the extent of compaction of the several blood sample constituent layers is periodically imaged during centrifugation, and the sequential constituent layer images are stored in the microprocessor controller in the assembly. After a sufficient number of images have been obtained and stored, about four or five for example, the microprocessor controller will be able to calculate the degree of ultimate compaction of the constituent layer or layers being measured, and will display the calculated value. At that point, centrifugation of the sample will be terminated. The microprocessor controller controls operation of the assembly in that, on command, it will: initiate centrifugation; monitor the RPM of the centrifuge; synchronize the light pulses with the ongoing centrifuge RPM; control operation of the photodetector; receive and store constituent layer readings; calculate the ultimate degree of constituent layer compaction, and the resultant constituent counts or values; and shut the centrifuge down. The operator thus need only place the blood sampling tube in the centrifuge, and initiate operation of the assembly. For operator convenience and safety, the blood sampling tube can be contained in a special cassette of the general type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,078.
If, on the other hand, the object is to measure the final extent of cell compaction following a fixed period of centrifugation, the layer lengths may be analyzed by the taking of one or more images following the fixed period centrifugation while the centrifuge continues spinning. Thus the advantage of being able to measure the extent of cell layer compaction without having to transfer the blood sample tube from the centrifuge to a separate reader instrument is realized. A device for synchronizing the pulsing of the light source irregardless of the speed of rotation of the centrifuge is also provided in the assembly. Such a device takes into account centrifuge wear, eliminates the need to set or adjust the pulsing synchronization of the assembly, and also allows the centrifuge to be intentionally operated at different speeds.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method for deriving an ultimate material layer thickness measurement in a centrifuged material mixture prior to the actual achievement of the ultimate layer thickness.
It is another object of this invention to provide a method which will allow the reading of the material layer thicknesses following a fixed period of centrifugation while the sample is still within the centrifuge.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of the character described wherein the material mixture is an anticoagulated sample of whole blood.
It is an additional object of this invention to provide a method of the character described wherein a plurality of preliminary sequential layer interface locations are sensed and stored during centrifugation of the mixture, with the interface data obtained being used to calculate the ultimate layer thickness.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a method of the character described wherein the ultimate thickness of a plurality of material layers in the sample being centrifuged can be derived from preliminary layer thickness measurements.